Five Times Lloyd Was a Pain
by DietCokeIsLife
Summary: And, the one time he wasn't. Takes place pre-Child's Play when Lloyd is still a kid. Very fluffy!
1. Kai

**Finally Lloyd's Five Times is here! Updates will be every Monday! :D**

 **This story takes place when Lloyd is a child (pre-Child's Play). Because Lloyd is a kid for such a short and specific time in the show, I decided to make these one shots follow a chronology, and therefore, they are loosely connected. This one shot takes place between "Can of Worms" and "The Snake King." Lloyd has just joined the ninja and has not been captured by the Serpentine yet or found out that he is the Green Ninja.**

 **I hope you like it!**

* * *

The first time Lloyd pranked him, Kai let it go.

Kai was relaxing on the couch in the living room, listening to his BorgPod and flipping through a magazine when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

He should have been suspicious when he saw Lloyd standing in front of him oh-so-innocently, but unfortunately, past Kai was not as wise as future Kai.

Pulling out one earbud, he raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Nya's looking for you."

"Why?"

Lloyd shrugged. "Didn't ask."

Sighing, Kai set his magazine aside, paused his music, and left his BorgPod and headphones sitting on the armrest of the couch. "Thanks," he told Lloyd as he left the room in search of his needy sister.

He saw her poring over the blueprints of the Destiny's Bounty in their pseudo-conference room, having a (needlessly flirtatious) conversation with Jay about how they could improve the ship's efficiency.

"What did you need, Nya?" He asked, making the lovebirds jump. Jay seemed mildly annoyed by the interruption, and Nya cocked her head in confusion.

"Huh? I don't need anything. Why do you ask?"

"But… Lloyd said…," Realizing his gullibility, Kai rolled his eyes and headed back toward the living room. "Never mind. Continue flirting."

He smirked to himself when he heard Jay sputter and squeak incoherently at the suggestion while Nya tried to calm him down.

Entering the now empty living room, conspicuously lacking any mischievous brats, he called sarcastically, "Ha ha, Lloyd. You're hilarious." Grumbling to himself, he took up his magazine and replaced his ear buds in his ears, hitting play-

And screamed when his ear drums were blasted with music that was way, _way_ too loud. He ripped the headphones off, grabbing his aching ears and whimpering.

Through the ringing in his ears, he could hear a little kid's laughter.

"Lloyd!" He growled, only catching a glimpse of Lloyd's black hoodie disappearing from the doorway where the little jerk had been watching his flawless plan in action. "You'd better hope I'm not deaf!"

Kai took a deep breath, deciding not to give chase. He was more mature than Lloyd. He could be the bigger person. Besides, it was just a little prank. It was all in good fun.

Calm now, Kai began reading his magazine again.

He should have known the lack of reaction would only cause Lloyd to up the ante.

* * *

The second time Lloyd pranked him, Kai was annoyed.

Kai started awake when the alarm went off, waking the five boys sharing the room. He went to rub his eyes-

And froze when something brushed his arm.

Then double froze when he felt something on top of him.

A bunch of somethings.

A bunch of small somethings with a _lot_ of creepy little legs.

Looking down, Kai saw that his entire bed was absolutely filled with hundreds of _huge_ , _hairy_ , _disgusting spiders._

He screamed, his voice achieving a frequency he was sure was too high even for dolphins to hear.

He heard Jay, Cole, and Zane scramble to their feet in drowsy confusion, trying to figure out where the little girl who had screamed was.

And, _then_ , he heard Lloyd laughing from the hallway, a safe distance away from Kai's wrath.

Feeling incredibly stupid and embarrassed, Kai grabbed one of the spiders… only to realize it was rubber. Completely fake. Lloyd had put a million fake spiders in his bed as a prank. And, it had worked beautifully.

"Wait, Kai, was that you who screamed?" Zane asked, Kai's three fellow ninja gathered by the edge of his bunk bed, peering up at where he was still lying in the top bunk.

"I'm going to _kill_ that kid," Kai snarled, throwing spider after stupid spider off his bed and onto the floor.

Realization dawned on the other three teens… and they started laughing.

"Oh, c'mon, Kai, you have to admit it was a pretty good prank," Jay conceded, always one to see the genius of practical jokes.

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't be saying that if he did it to _you_ ," Kai grumbled, continuing to push the zillion spiders off his bed that seemed to be multiplying- _how much did these things cost anyway_?

"He does prank us," Cole pointed out, bending to pick up one of the rubber perpetrators and study it.

"Not anymore!" Kai protested, finally freeing his bed of the fake arachnids and hopping to the floor that was now littered with them. "He's only been picking on me!"

"Perhaps he enjoys spending time with you the most, Kai," Zane suggested. "Keep in mind that Lloyd has spent his most crucial developmental years in Darkly's School for Bad Boys. Borderline cruel practical jokes and collaboration in petty theft are the only ways he knows how to bond with people."

"I thought we were trying to reform him," Kai argued, even if the idea that this was Lloyd's way of trying to hang out with him lessened his irritation with the kid. A little.

"I would say this is proof that we already have," Zane countered, presenting one of the rubber toys to Kai. "After all, they could have been real spiders."

* * *

The third time Lloyd pranked him, Kai finally got it.

The red ninja had just showered and dressed himself in the street clothes that he had experimentally determined to be the best to wear when trying to pick up girls. He headed toward the door- the slightly ajar door, which really should have tipped him off, considering he was positive he had closed it before getting in the shower.

He pushed the door open-

And screamed when mud- wet, cold, dirty, _gross_ mud- poured all over him, soaking his newly clean and styled hair and possibly irreversibly staining his best outfit. The bucket that had formerly held the mud hit the floor with a thud.

Kai heard the oh-too-familiar laughter assaulting his ear drums and wiped the mud from his eyes to see Lloyd a few feet away. The kid was doubled over, clutching his stomach, and wheezing through his laughter, "Your-your _face_ … it was-it was- it was _priceless_! I wish I had a camera…,"

But, this was where Lloyd had made his mistake. For the other two pranks, he had been smart enough to escape long before Kai had recovered from the shock. Like so many other tragic heroes, this time, his hubris would be his downfall.

In two lightning-quick strides, Kai had Lloyd in his grasp. In half a second and with barely any effort on his part, Kai wrestled Lloyd to the floor so he was straddling him, pinning both wrists to the ground above his head.

"Enough already!" He yelled. Lloyd wasn't laughing now; in fact, he had gone quite pale. "Are you _trying_ to get me to blow up?"

When Lloyd averted his eyes without deigning to respond, Kai got his answer regardless.

"So, that's it, huh? You think making me mad on purpose is funny? You know, it's already hard enough to control my temper without annoying pains in the neck constantly trying to poke the bear."

Lloyd flinched. He strained against Kai's hold, but he was absolutely helpless in the stronger teen's grasp.

"So, why me?" Kai demanded, not ready to release Lloyd just yet. "Why are you only bugging me?"

"It doesn't matter," Lloyd muttered, struggling once again. Kai tightened his grip on his wrists. "Just let me go."

"Nope, that's not good enough." Kai shook his head. "I've tried to be nice, I've tried to let it go, but now I want an explanation. If you want to spend time with me, this is a really messed up way of showing it."

"I _don't_ want to spend time with _any_ of you!" Lloyd yelled, taking Kai aback with the ferocity of the claim. "I don't even want to _be_ here! So, just let me go!"

Kai blinked, the anger from before forgotten as he studied the boy fruitlessly fighting against him. He started upon seeing tears collecting in Lloyd's eyes that he was desperately trying to keep from falling.

"What do you mean you don't want to be here?" Kai asked. When Lloyd didn't reply, he shook him. "C'mon, Lloyd, we've already been through all this. Just _talk_ to me."

"You want to know why I've been picking on you?" Lloyd asked, rubbing his face against his shoulder in lieu of wiping his eyes as if he could stop himself from crying that way. "I thought you'd be the one that was _real_ with me! I _know_ you guys don't like me, okay? I just wish everyone would stop faking it around me and just tell me to get lost already like _everybody else_ did instead of- instead of-"

Lloyd was openly sobbing now.

And, Kai finally, _finally_ got it.

Lloyd _wanted_ Kai to blow up at him, _wanted_ Kai to hate him even. He wanted them to hold him at arm's length so he wouldn't get attached, so he wouldn't have to feel the same pain he felt when his dad left him if and when they abandoned him too.

Lloyd wanted to push them away before they could push him away.

Kai moved off of Lloyd in favor of sitting on the floor beside him, releasing his wrists from the vice grip he'd held them in.

The second Lloyd was free, he scrambled to get his feet under him, trying to run-

Kai grabbed the hem of his hoodie, yanking him down so they were both sitting in the middle of the hallway.

"I get it, okay?"

Lloyd blinked wetly at the red ninja. "Huh?"

"I get it," Kai repeated. "You know the story of how I became a ninja?"

Lloyd rubbed at his cheek with the heel of his hand. "No."

"Nya got captured, and Master Wu and the guys offered to help me get her back," Kai explained, leaning back on the palms of his hands, confident that the story was enough to keep Lloyd from trying to escape. "And, I… wasn't a very good team player at first. I didn't want their help. I didn't even want to be part of the team in the first place. Ever since my parents disappeared, all I had was Nya, and it was… really hard trying to let anybody else in after all those years.

"But, they stuck by me, even when I was being a jerk," Kai finished, elbowing Lloyd. "It's not that we don't like you, Lloyd. It's hard- for you _and_ us- to let someone new in at first, but the solution is not to close yourself off altogether." He lowered his voice. "We're sticking by you, just like they stuck by me."

Lloyd was staring at him in open astonishment, either shocked that Kai had figured out his ulterior motive for the pranks or by the reassurance that his fear was unfounded- or both. "Kai…,"

"In fact, to _prove_ it…," a devilish grin took up residence on his face. "Let's hug it out."

Lloyd's eyes widened with alarm, and he tried to flee- but Kai was too fast for him, snagging his elbow and yanking him into his cold, muddy embrace.

Lloyd was fighting to escape with at least some part of him still clean, but he was laughing too hard for any of his efforts to be effective.

"Yeah, you can really _feel_ the love…," Kai continued, scooping a handful of mud from the puddle of excess on the ground and stuffing it down the back of Lloyd's hoodie. The kid shrieked as the mud made its freezing trek down his spine, then again when Kai rubbed the mud that was left in his palm into Lloyd's blonde hair and then over his face. " _There_ we go. Do you feel liked now?"

" _No_!" Lloyd shouted, taking a fistful of mud of his own and stuffing it into Kai's face in retribution. "Take that!"

"Oh, you asked for it!"

But, Lloyd had to admit that, later when he was on his hands and knees scrubbing the hallway that was absolutely coated in mud after their wrestling match with Kai complaining loudly beside him, he did feel at least a _little_ more liked, a notion which was somehow only confirmed when Kai threw a soapy sponge at him.

* * *

 **So I guess this was like a spiritual epilogue to "Five Times Kai Lost His Temper" XD**

 **Suggestions are always open! Next up is Nya! :D**


	2. Nya

**What?! The next chapter a day early?! Yep, updates are moving to Sundays! After I finish Lost Soul, updates will then move again to Saturdays! :D**

 **As I stated last chapter, these one shots do go in order. This one takes place shortly after the last one, meaning we're still in between "Can of Worms" and "The Snake King" (i.e. Lloyd doesn't know he's the Green Ninja yet).**

 **Special thanks to ABCSKW123-IX, RandomDragon2.0, rbrill345, Tex1412, Wyrenfire, musicalsaregood, SpitfirewaterNinja, Star, SnowNinjaAJ, TheYellowNinja, Guest, PrairieSkies, Peanut2196, StoriesAreMagic, Ninja Pony, and Nali Nali Nalina for reviewing!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **rbrill345: Haha, I'm glad you thought it was cute! I hope you like this one as well, even though it's a *bit* more angsty. ;D Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Star: Aw, thank you so much! :D**

 **SnowNinjaAJ: Yay! Standards met! I'm so happy to hear it brightened up your day! I actually did not rewatch season 1, so I was very worried about keeping them all in character. I am SO happy to hear you think I succeeded! :D I can't wait to see the cover ;D Thank you so much!**

 **TheYellowNinja: I love Kai and Lloyd's relationship too! Haha, yeah, I kind of realized after I wrote it that Kai lost his temper... which is the story I just finished... Oh well! I hope you like Nya's chapter! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Guest: Aw, you are way, way too kind! Your review made my whole day! Thank you soooo much! :D**

 **Ninja Pony: Haha, I'm glad you thought it was cute! I hope you like this too! :D Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Nali Nali Nalina: Yeah, I think you were the one to suggest Lloyd pranking the other ninja! The other chapters will feature Lloyd being annoying in plenty of other ways! (In this one, he complains a lot XD) Kai is definitely a good big brother to Lloyd! :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

The first time Lloyd was forced to stay behind, he complained.

He had been contentedly playing video games with Kai while Jay and Zane played chess nearby. He was _just_ starting to feel like maybe this could be his normal, like this could work, when Cole ran in shouting, "There's been a Serpentine sighting in Jamanakai village!"

And, the peace was shattered. Jay and Zane were on their feet, the former knocking over the chess pieces in his haste. Kai tossed the controller to the floor without even bothering to pause the game, causing his character to be dealt a very grisly death by the slow but relentless snail enemies on screen.

Lloyd couldn't stop the whine from escaping. "But-"

"Sorry, Lloyd," Kai called over his shoulder as he followed his brothers out of the room. Lloyd struggled to keep up on legs that were about half as long. "Duty calls."

"Can I come?"

The four teens started, turning as one unit to face him. They all shared a look before Cole said apologetically, "Lloyd, you know it's dangerous. We can't be worried about protecting you while we're fighting."

Lloyd crossed his arms. "You won't have to protect me. I can help!"

Zane placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look at it this way, Lloyd. You get to stay here and help Nya out!"

"Lucky," Jay muttered.

Lloyd rolled his eyes, huffing. "That's _boring!_ I mean, she doesn't even _do_ anything!"

When he didn't receive a response, he raised an eyebrow at their expressions. They seemed frozen with shock, but they weren't looking at him. They were looking _over_ -

Preemptively cringing, Lloyd turned around… to see Nya right behind him with a very unhappy expression on her face.

Lloyd sputtered, backpedalling. "Nya! I, uh- that was out of context-"

"Hmph." She turned on her heel and stalked into the cockpit of the Destiny's Bounty, slamming the door behind her.

"Look at it this way, Lloyd," Zane said after a moment, replacing the hand on his shoulder. "You can use this time to think up a good apology."

* * *

The second time Lloyd was left behind, he moped.

"You guys have to go _again_?" He complained from where he was leaning against the doorway, watching the four ninja equip themselves with their golden weapons.

"We cannot ignore a cry for help, Lloyd," Zane stated. "Ninjago City suspects the Serpentine are gathering nearby, so we must investigate."

"You know, we wouldn't have to if _somebody_ hadn't opened the Serpentine tombs in the first place…," Jay joked as he took up his nunchucks.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" He snapped, pouting.

"We wouldn't have to bring it up if _somebody_ wasn't complaining…," Cole pointed out, earning an appreciative chuckle and high five from Jay for making a callback to his joke.

"We all know you're talking about me!" Lloyd shouted, frustrated. "You don't have to keep saying ' _somebody_.'"

The ninja began filing out of the room, making to leave the Destiny's Bounty. Kai ruffled his hair on the way out. "We'll be back later, Lloyd. Why don't you hang out with Nya?"

Lloyd barely stopped himself from making some biting remark, recalling how well that worked out last time. He lingered on the deck, watching the ninja jump off the Destiny's Bounty and convert their golden weapons into vehicles mid-air and drive away.

Sighing, he decided to try to find something to do to entertain himself. This consisted of: replaying their limited number of videogames, all of which he had already beaten a million times before; rereading his meager collection of Fritz Donnegan comics, all of which he had read a million times before; raiding the ninja's stuff to look for candy, all of which he had searched a million times before. It culminated in him flopping face first on the couch with a loud groan.

 _"Why don't you hang out with Nya?"_

It was true. He was desperate enough to hang out… with a _girl._

He trudged into the cockpit where he saw Nya studying a map of Ninjago that was pinned to the wall.

"Hi, Lloyd," she greeted distractedly.

"Hi," he muttered, plopping down in a chair and placing his chin in his hands.

"What's up?" She asked, finally tearing her gaze away from the map and pulling out the chair across the table from him.

"I'm… _booored_ ," he grumbled. "Is this what you have to deal with _all the time_ while they're gone?"

"Welcome to the glamorous life of the ninja," she smirked.

"How do you stop yourself from going _insane_?" He asked quite seriously, dropping his forehead to the table with a thump.

"Simple." He looked up when she suddenly spread books and papers out on the table in between them. "I work."

"Work?" He repeated disbelievingly. Not that he would ever say it to her face, or to any of the ninja's faces for that matter, but he'd always thought that Nya was… kind of useless. She couldn't fight, she wasn't on the team, and she was only allowed to be here because she was Kai's sister. It didn't really have anything to do with her being a girl, but, then again, that didn't help her case.

"Of course," she gestured to the ancient scrolls she had procured from Wu's library on board. "If I can figure out what the Serpentine want, then maybe we can come up with a way to beat them."

"What do you mean what they want?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "They want to, like, rule the world or whatever."

"Well… maybe," Nya placed a hand on her chin. "But, if that is their end goal, then they must have a plan. Even if Pythor can unite all the tribes, they don't have the numbers to just attack Ninjago, especially considering they only came close to winning the Serpentine Wars because of the Anacondrai generals, which, as we know, were banished to the Cursed Realm.

"Not to mention that, after being locked underground for so long, their technology is light years behind our own. Pythor must have something else in mind besides a full frontal assault, something he can't accomplish by himself. I've studied all of our texts on it, but I'm only part way through translating the ancient Serpentine hieroglyphics. You'd be surprised how little information there is on the Internet about them."

Lloyd blinked, a little overwhelmed, because all that was… really smart.

He had been in contact with the Serpentine, seen the inside of their tombs, been the only human among them for an extended period of time, talked personally with Pythor and had the opportunity to ask as many questions as he would have liked. And yet, Nya, this _girl_ who he'd only seen leave the Destiny's Bounty a handful of times, had figured _all that_ out.

"...Wow," is all Lloyd said after a minute, wincing at how lame it sounded coming out of his mouth.

"And, when I can't look at that anymore without wanting to rip my hair out, I work on my machines," she added, gesturing to a side table that housed several disorganized piles of scrap metal, screws and bolts, and tools like wrenches and screwdrivers. "You want to help me?"

"Um…," Sure, he had been bored, but tightening screws honestly sounded worse than literally doing nothing.

"How about we make it a game?" Nya offered, moving to a cabinet on the side of the room and pulling out a _huge, bulging, beautiful_ bag of candy. "Every time we finish fixing something, we both get three pieces of candy."

"Is-is all that yours?" Lloyd asked, mouth practically watering as he eyed the sack of candy Nya placed in the middle of the table.

"Of course not," she smirked. "I took it from the boys' stash."

"I _knew_ they had a stash!" Lloyd exclaimed triumphantly. "Where is it? I've looked everywhere for it!"

"I'd say that information is worth… twelve pieces of candy," she decided, nodding confidently. "So, if we fix four things and you trade me back the candy you earn, I'll tell you."

Lloyd gaped. "That's… that's _cruel_!"

"Take it or leave it, kid."

And so, Lloyd found himself handing Nya different machine parts, connecting wires, and, yes, tightening screws. But, he was talking and laughing and finding out he actually had a _lot_ in common with Nya. He almost forgot he was doing this for candy (or rather, the promise of future candy.)

Almost.

* * *

The third time Lloyd was left behind, he finally got it.

He found himself eagerly helping Nya once again while the guys were on a mission and Master Wu was out on some errand. "Helping" meaning she attempted to translate the Serpentine hieroglyphics while he played computer games until she told him to type something into the search engine. Oddly enough, being in her company, even when they weren't talking, was… nice. Almost like they were… kindred spirits.

He looked up when Nya's phone rang.

She picked up, "Hello?"

Lloyd could only faintly pick up some yelling on the line, but he recognized Kai's voice. Almost immediately, Nya was pushing her painstakingly organized stacks of papers and books to the floor without a thought to how they landed, moving the chairs to the side of the room, and then pulling the rarely used white tablecloth out of the cabinet beside her secret stash of candy, all while she kept the cell phone tucked between her cheek and her shoulder with a grim expression on her face.

"What is it?" Lloyd asked, feeling his heart pick up speed. He gasped when he heard a thump outside- at first he feared they were being attacked by the Serpentine, but then he recognized Kai's voice, obviously still speaking to Nya on the phone even though they were less than fifty feet away now.

Suddenly, Nya hung up the phone, spreading the tablecloth out on the now completely empty table.

"Nya, what is it?" He asked again, rubbing his sweaty palms on his pants. He had no idea what was going on, and yet he had this horrible, horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Nya walked up to him, placing both hands on his shoulders. "Lloyd, I need you to go to the kitchen and get a bowl of water, as many clean rags as you can find, and the first aid kit, okay?"

"First aid kit?" He repeated, his voice coming out thin and quiet. "What-"

The door slammed open, banging against the adjacent wall.

Cole barrelled in, carrying an unconscious Jay in his arms.

Lloyd's eyes widened when he saw that the entire left half of Jay's chest was soaked in blood.

Zane and Kai came hobbling in shortly thereafter, the latter's arm slung around the white ninja's shoulders as he limped and tried not to hiss in pain.

"Lloyd," Nya squeezed his shoulders, momentarily drawing his attention away from the sight of Cole placing Jay on the covered table, already taking off his brother's gi and revealing Jay's bare, _very red_ chest. "Can you get those things for me?"

Her voice was gentle.

He nodded before hurrying off, sparing only one more glance over his shoulder at the red stain steadily growing on the white tablecloth.

The next hour wasn't so different from all those times he had helped Nya with her robotics projects. "Lloyd, hand me a rag," "Lloyd, heat up the needle," "Lloyd, check his pulse again."

Except of course it was a person's _life_ \- _Jay's_ life- in her hands and not an unfeeling machine.

He did what he was told mechanically, Nya's very calm, very straightforward voice flowing in one ear and out the other. He didn't want to look at Jay, didn't want to see his pale face drawn with pain, didn't want to see his chest that had been slashed _open_ , didn't want to watch the needle going in and out of his skin as Nya slowly stitched the wound closed.

The only reason he forced himself to keep helping was because he knew Nya didn't want to either. But, she was doing it, for Jay, for someone she loved, and so Lloyd helped because he wanted to emulate her strength.

The strength he had never seen in her before, even though it had always been there.

Once she had finished stitching Jay's wound- forty five stitches (he had counted)- and wrapping it in gauze, she did not rest. With an order to watch Jay, she turned her attention to the other ninja. Kai had a sprained ankle and possibly several broken ribs; Cole had taken a pretty vicious hit to the stomach, revealing a nasty red and purple bruise, but was otherwise okay; Zane had taken a knock to the head, and they suspected he had a concussion.

Nya took care of all of them, and one by one, they fell victim to exhaustion, slumping over in slumber wherever they found themselves on the floor. She helped them lie down, ordering Lloyd to fetch blankets for all of them while she tirelessly checked them over once again, making sure they hadn't missed anything in their adrenaline-addled, mildly panicked states.

When Lloyd finally fell asleep, Nya was holding Jay's hand.

* * *

Lloyd started awake, shaking his mind free of images of blood and wounds and stitches (forty five- he had counted.) Gathering his bearings, he saw he was on the floor, a blanket tucked around him, another one of Nya's efforts. He sat up, noting that all of the guys were still sleeping in the positions they had left them in, and from the dark window, he decided it must have been some time in the middle of the night.

He expected to see Nya sleeping sitting up in a chair, possibly still holding Jay's hand.

He did not expect to see her at her robotics table, scribbling furious on blueprints.

He pushed himself to his feet, slowly padding over to her. He peered over her shoulder to see… some sort of huge robot suit? Or maybe he was completely off-base; blueprints were just as foreign to him as the Serpentine hieroglyphics.

"Lloyd!" She whisper-shouted when she realized he was behind her, scrambling to hide the blueprints under the numerous other papers spread around the desk. She had been busy. "What are you doing awake?" Her gaze shifted from one of anxiety to concern. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, though his eyes drifted to Jay's inert body on the table. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I have to wake up Zane every few hours to make sure he doesn't have a concussion. So far, so good, but we can't take any chances," she replied, nodding at the white ninja lying under the window. "Besides, Jay might need something. He'll certainly freak out when he wakes up, and I need to be there for him." She shrugged, gesturing to her work table. "Don't worry. I have plenty of things to keep me busy."

He balked at her. "But, when do you _sleep_?"

"Whenever I don't have anything else to do."

He pressed his mouth into a line, glancing at Jay yet again. "Are you…," he trailed off. Steeling himself, he turned back to Nya and began again. "Are you always this _scared_?"

He took a deep, shuddering breath and continued before she could respond. "I mean, I guess I never really thought about it before, but every time they leave… they leave to _fight._ They risk their lives, and… what if they don't come back?" He finished in a whisper.

Nya sighed, taking both of Lloyd's hands. Usually, he would have pulled out of her grasp, but right now, he was grateful for the comfort. "That's… always a possibility." She glanced at the sleeping ninja. "I love them; I do, with all my heart. Would it be easier if I could make them stay here where I know they'll be safe? Of course!" She shook her head. "But, we can't be selfish. Sometimes, they're the only things standing between Ninjago and total destruction."

There was a pause, and Lloyd dropped his gaze to their hands. "I'm… I'm sorry for saying that you don't do anything. I mean, obviously that's not true."

Nya laughed. "Thank you, Lloyd. Apology accepted." She let go of his hands, turning back to her work table. "Now, get some sleep. I've still got some work to-"

"Can I help?"

She looked back at him in astonishment as he grabbed a chair and set it softly on the floor beside her so as to not wake the ninja. "You want to help?" She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I'm not sure I can get the candy out without them finding out that we stole it from their stash."

"'We?'"

"You ate it. That makes you an accomplice in the crime."

Lloyd laughed quietly. "I _guess_ I can find it in me to help, even without candy."

She smiled at him, and Lloyd knew she enjoyed the company in these lonely, stressful hours of the night. And, it… felt _good_ to do something for someone else, a feeling he'd never experienced at Darkly's.

"Okay, then." Nya handed him a screwdriver. "Get ready to tighten some screws."

Lloyd groaned.

* * *

 **I hope you guys liked it! Next chapter is Jay! (It takes place shortly after this one, so Jay will still be injured :D)**

 **Feel free to leave suggestions! :D**


	3. Jay

**Here's Jay's chapter! It takes place almost directly after the last one, meaning Jay is still injured.**

 **Also, from now on, updates will be on Saturdays now that Lost Soul is completed :( Sorry that I keep changing it! XD**

 **Special thanks to ABCSKW123-IX, xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx, RandomDragon2.0, SpitfirewaterNinja, Peanut2196, StoriesAreMagic, Midnight, TheYellowNinja, Ninja Pony, and imacrazyninjagofan for reviewing!**

 **Midnight: Hey, no problem! There's never any pressure to review! I love writing little Lloyd :3 Aw, I'm so happy you thought Nya and Kai were in character! That is a top priority of mine :D I hope you like Jay's chapter! Thank you so much!**

 **TheYellowNinja: Right?! I think Lloyd and Nya bonding is ADORABLE :3 I hope you like this chapter! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Ninja Pony: I love Lloyd and Nya's sibling bond! :3 Haha! Don't worry, the boys are mostly okay, and we'll see Jay this chapter! XD**

 **imacrazyninjagofan: Haha, I'm glad you thought it was cute :D Thanks for reviewing!**

* * *

The first time someone took care of him, Jay was excited.

"We won't be gone long, Jay," Kai said to the blue ninja who was propped up with three pillows on the couch. His chest was covered in approximately three layers of gauze, but he had a huge blanket draped over him and the remote in hand. He actually looked quite cozy.

"Don't worry about me," Jay reassured, waving his hand as if he could shoo them away from where he was lounging on the couch. "Take your time."

"Are you sure you're okay staying behind?" Cole asked from where he was leaning against the doorframe. Jay's brothers' injuries hadn't been as severe as they had feared at first: Zane did not have a concussion; Kai's ribs were only bruised, not broken, and the twisted ankle felt much better after a day of icing and elevating it; and Cole was sore around his midsection but had actually fared the best out of the four of them. Jay, meanwhile, had been dealt a very serious chest wound and had lost a lot of blood. While he had survived the encounter with no long-lasting injuries, he was on bed rest until he healed.

Which was fine by Jay.

"Of course!" Jay insisted, glancing at the opposite doorway from where his brothers were lingering, leading back toward the kitchen and ship's cockpit. "We've got Serpentine to stop, and you can't wait on me."

"Do not fret, Jay. You will recover in no time!" Zane smiled.

 _I sure hope not_. "Yeah, definitely!"

And with that, the three ninja threw their goodbyes over their shoulders and headed out the door.

Jay grinned in anticipation, settling into his pillows. Sure, being injured wasn't fun. The memory of watching the blade descend toward him, the memory of the white hot pain that had exploded in his chest, the memory of Cole looking truly terrified as he caught sight of Jay's injury, the memory of waking up scared and confused and immediately bursting into tears… no, none of that had been fun.

But, _now_. Now, he had a few days off alone with all the video games he could play and- Jay accidently let an audible, lovesick sigh escape- _Nya_.

Nya taking care of him, getting her undivided attention, being on the receiving end of her tenderness and worry. If movies were anything to go off of, romance was _sure_ to blossom between the girl and the injured guy she took care of. Something about vulnerability…

Jay heard footsteps approaching, and he caught his breath, looking toward-

Lloyd.

Jay blinked at the kid who came into the room carrying a tray with a bowl, the carton of milk, and a box of cereal on it. "Hey, Lloyd," Jay greeted distractedly, trying to crane his neck so he could see down the hall. "Is, uh, Nya coming?"

"She told me to bring you breakfast," Lloyd replied, holding out the tray to Jay.

Jay accepted it, looking down at it. "Oh. Thanks." He raised an eyebrow at the box. "Is cereal all we have?"

"Nya said I'm not allowed to use the stove, so yeah."

Jay sighed, trying vain to keep the double disappointment out of his voice. "Okay."

He poured himself a bowl of cereal and began eating it forlornly, flipping through the TV channels to find something interesting to watch.

Then, he noticed that Lloyd was still standing nearby, watching him intently.

"Lloyd, did you need something else?" He asked.

"Nya said that I was supposed to take care of you while she worked on more important stuff." More important stuff? _Ouch._ "So, I'm here to get whatever you need."

"I appreciate it," Jay grumbled, already calculating how much Nya time he was missing out on because of Lloyd's presence. "But, I don't need anything right now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Do you need another blanket?"

"No."

"Do you need a fan? Or ice?"

"No."

"Do you need a drink?"

"No, Lloyd."

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

" _No, Lloyd_ ," Jay snapped, rolling his eyes. "I don't need anything."

"Okay," Lloyd replied, though he didn't move from his spot. "Just tell me when you need something."

Jay groaned in exasperation, trying to burrow into his pillows and get comfortable despite Lloyd's hawk-like stare he could feel on him like a physical weight. It wasn't that he didn't _like_ the kid… it's just that Lloyd was bratty and annoying and got in the way more often than not. Besides, every other time before now, the other guys and/or Nya had been there too, making it the group setting Jay was used to. But, now, one on one with Lloyd… Jay didn't really know how to act. What did you say to the son of your worst enemy who had caused all of the problems they were currently trying to solve and had inadvertently led to him lying injured on the couch without even Nya's presence to ease the blow?

But, eventually, a little time passed and Jay _almost_ forgot Lloyd was there, until-

"Is this really what you're going to watch?" Lloyd complained from where he was sitting on the floor, judging the romantic comedy Jay had settled on (which he secretly liked even if he would never admit that to the guys.) "I mean, the whole premise is ridiculous. And, the acting is just bad."

Pursing his lips, Jay flipped the channel to a mystery TV show. They watched in silence, and Jay was just getting invested when-

"Oh, I've seen this one before! The brother did it."

Jay bit his lip to keep a cuss word that was certainly not age-appropriate from escaping and turned the channel again, seeing no point in watching the show now that the mystery had been ruined.

It was an action movie, and there was _no way_ Lloyd could ruin-

"Oh my gosh, that stunt was _so fake_. And, how did one car bomb make an explosion _that big_? If he's in a helicopter, they've got to be miles away by now, so-"

" _Lloyd_!" Jay snapped, turning off the TV.

The kid jumped to his feet. "Do you need something?"

"I _need_ you to go away!" Jay yelled, grabbing his hair. "I mean, it's like you don't even know how annoying you are! No wonder Darkly's didn't want you!"

Jay's mouth snapped shut, immediately regretting letting those words escape.

Lloyd was trembling, glaring at his shoes.

"Lloyd-"

Lloyd ripped the tray off Jay's lap, causing the glass bowl to shatter, the cereal box to scatter its contents across the floor, and the milk carton to start leaking and immediately form a puddle.

"Lloyd!" Jay shouted, this time in chastisement- but Lloyd has already run out of the room, and distantly, Jay could hear their bedroom door slam.

* * *

The second time someone took care of him, Jay wasn't excited.

Because, while he finally had Nya's attention that he had craved all day, he only felt guilty that she was on her hands and knees, cleaning up the mess Lloyd had created.

And, she wasn't even taking his side in the matter.

"What do you mean my fault?" He asked incredulously. "I'm not that one who knocked the tray over like a baby."

"I'm surprised at you, Jay," Nya reprimanded, sitting back on her haunches, milk-sodden towel in hand. "I mean, you _know_ he's sensitive about getting kicked out of Darkly's. Besides, with Garmadon as his father and his mother who knows where, you think he _might_ have abandonment issues? Not to mention aggressive reactions to emotional distress?" She gestured at the shattered bowl she had sweeped into a small pile of broken glass.

"I know, I know, I shouldn't have said what I did," Jay conceded, falling back into his pillow. "But, you weren't there for the rest of it, Nya! I mean, he's… he's… _insufferable_."

"No, he's not. He's trying to be good when he has no idea how, and you didn't even give him a chance," Nya continued, returning to her task of sopping up the wasted milk. "Did you even _try_ to get to know him? Ask him what his hobbies were? Best subject? Favorite color?"

Jay didn't respond. Because, no. No, he didn't.

Nya stood up with the dustpan full of broken glass and stray cereal pieces, having finished cleaning up the milk. "Maybe you should reconsider which one of you is really the 'insufferable' one."

* * *

The third time someone took care of him, Jay finally got it.

He was leaning against his pillow, the TV turned off, when Lloyd leaned halfway into the doorway of the living room. His eyes were red, and he refused to meet Jay's gaze.

"Nya said I had to come see what you wanted," Lloyd muttered by way of greeting.

Jay took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Lloyd."

Lloyd stumbled fully into the living room, eyes wide with surprise. "Huh?"

"You were just trying to help- and actually being really nice- and I was a total jerk about it," he admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I'm just frustrated about being injured, and, if I'm being completely honest… I was kind of hoping that Nya was going to take care of me." He averted his eyes, blushing.

"Why?" Lloyd furrowed his brow. Then, he gasped with realization. "Wait, you… _like_ like her? _Ewww_!"

Jay laughed at Lloyd's disgusted expression, letting his head fall back against his pillow. "Life was so much simpler back when girls were gross. You'll understand when you're older."

"No, I _won't_ ," Lloyd insisted, crossing his arms. "I'm never gonna like a girl."

"Suuure," Jay agreed, laughing again. "Anyway, I was _thinking_ , if you would still be willing to be my caretaker… we could find something we both want to do?" He offered, meeting Lloyd's eyes hesitantly and preemptively wincing.

Lloyd scrutinized Jay a moment, as if unsure whether his word was to be trusted or not. Eventually, he gave a small nod. "Okay."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"What do _you_ want to do?"

"We could play video games."

"I've already beat them all," Lloyd replied off-handedly. "It wasn't that hard to beat your high scores."

Jay tamped down his frustration. _Impaired social skills. Lacking manners. Be patient…_

"Okay, then," Jay said slowly once he was sure he wouldn't snap at the kid. "What else do you like to do?"

Lloyd pondered this a moment. "I read comics a lot."

"What kind? Superhero, right?"

"Well- sort of. I mean, Fritz Donnegan is kind of like a superhero, but he's just a regular guy who's _awesome._ It's sci-fi."

Jay started. _Was it really going to be this easy_? "Sci-fi's my favorite genre!"

Lloyd blinked, then suddenly rushed off without saying a word. He reappeared a moment later with a small cardboard box in his arms. "Okay, so I don't have every single issue, but I can just explain to you what happens in between…,"

Jay managed to hide his grimace when Lloyd pulled himself onto the small, empty space on the couch at Jay's feet, pushing a comic book into his hands. While sci-fi was his favorite, there was also a huge age difference between him and Lloyd, so it stood to reason that Jay, who considered himself fairly critical, would see all the flaws in the series Lloyd couldn't. And, then Jay would feel pressured to insist that he liked it when he secretly didn't, and then he'd probably get sucked into going to all these lame conventions or movies or whatever…

But, he remembered his conversation with Nya as he looked down at the front cover. Lloyd was making an effort, and Jay would too. He flipped to the first page, and Lloyd opened one of his numerous other issues.

Later:

"Issue twelve _clearly_ states that Fritz Donnegan's Galactical Time Converter _can_ work in hyperspace, so Nebulon shouldn't have been able to capture Skippy in issue eighteen!"

"It's _implied_ that Captain Atomic tampered with the Time Converter in issue seventeen!"

"True, _but_ in issue twenty six it's revealed that all of issue seventeen took place in a parallel universe! Therefore, Captain Atomic _couldn't_ have tampered with it!"

"Yes, but then in issue twenty _seven_ it turns out issue twenty six was a dream…,"

Nya laughed to herself from where she was listening to Jay and Lloyd's argument in the hallway. At least they were getting along.

Sort of.

* * *

"Woah, what happened while we were gone?" Jay looked up from the Fritz Donnegan comic he was currently reading to see his brothers enter the living room, having returned from their mission. He was caught between trying to hide the comic and acting like he didn't care if they saw him doing something totally geeky. Then, he figured they already considered him a huge geek, so he didn't have anything to lose.

"I didn't know you two were close," Kai continued, waving a hand at Lloyd. Jay followed the gesture- then started when he saw that Lloyd had fallen asleep. He was slumped over on Jay's legs, half sharing the blanket, half suffocated by it. So, that's why his legs had fallen asleep… He was so caught up in the comic, he hadn't even noticed.

"Oh, um… We kind of… bonded while you guys were gone." Jay offered sheepishly, and he realized… it was true. He had way more in common with Lloyd than he had ever thought possible, and hanging out with him, discussing comics and theories and complaining about the bad reputation sci-fi has… was actually really fun.

"I think that is wonderful, Jay," Zane complimented. "Lloyd can only benefit from strong relationships with good role models."

"Then he shouldn't have a strong relationship with Jay," Cole joked, earning a laugh from Kai.

Jay frowned. "Ha ha. I'm a great role model. The only thing he can learn from _you_ is how to stuff his face."

Kai laughed again, and Cole made a face. "Well, I was going to offer to carry him to bed, but that little comment just made me change my mind." Cole turned on his heel, and disappeared down the hallway.

"Wait!" Jay whisper-shouted, but Cole was already gone. "Kai? Zane? You'll take him, right?"

"You know, I'm really tired…," Kai smirked at him as he followed Cole toward their bedroom. "Goodnight, Jay."

"Kai!" Jay hissed. "Zane, c'mon, you'll take him, won't you?"

"I believe it would be better for your relationship if Lloyd stayed with you," Zane decided, nodding righteously. "Have fun 'sleeping over,' as they say." He chuckled. "Though I suppose in your case, it would be 'sleeping under.'"

"Guys!" Jay whispered as Zane exited the room. " _Guys_!"

Groaning and thinking up a million different plans to get revenge on traitorous brothers, Jay tried to readjust his numb legs- then froze when Lloyd moaned in his sleep and shifted. Jay sighed, realizing he was completely and utterly trapped.

But, then again… looking down at Lloyd's face that was completely innocent in sleep, making him seem much younger than he was, Jay had to admit… the kid _was_ kind of cute.

Finding he didn't mind the numbness in his legs so much anymore, Jay began reading the Fritz Donnegan comic again, already preparing his next debate topic to discuss with Lloyd tomorrow.

* * *

 **I know, I know, Jay doesn't really get into Fritz Donnegan until like season three or so, but... creative license, anyone? *sweat drop***

 **I hope you liked it! Next is Zane :D**


	4. Zane

**Here is Zane's chapter! It takes place shortly after Lloyd discovers he is the Green Ninja :D**

 **Special thanks to: RandomDragon2.0, MidnightStarHunter, TheYellowNinja, Star, SnowNinjaAJ, SpitfirewaterNinja, Peanut2196, Wyrenfire, Spider-Man Super-Fan, xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx, Guest, PrairieSkies, Tex1412, Midnight, Guest, Lexy Venzon, StoiresAreMagic, imacrazyninjagofan, and Nali Nali Nalina for reviewing!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **TheYellowNinja: Woah, Lloyd and Jay pranking together would be VERY SCARY. XD I hope you like Zane's chapter! Aw, thanks for your comments on Lost Soul! :3 No title for the sequel yet, but I'm thinking! I'll let you know what I come up with it XD I have watched the first two episodes of season eight, and I hope to catch up this weekend! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Star: Aw, thank you so much! :D**

 **SnowNinjaAJ: I'm so happy you thought it was adorable! Yeah, I thought with season eight, Lloyd thinking girls were gross would be even more hilarious XD Wow! An explosion of cuteness! What an honor! XD Thank you so much! :D**

 **Guest: Haha, I'm so glad you think it's cute and that Lloyd is being sufficiently annoying XD Thank you so much!**

 **Midnight: Yay, adorableness achieved! XD Aw, I'm so glad you could connect with the chapter like that! Of course! I love responding to reviews! I appreciate each and every one that is left on any of my stories :3 Thank you so much! :D**

 **Guest: Oh my goodness, now I WISH I had included that scene in the last chapter! It made me crack up laughing! XD Ooh, I LOVE your suggestion as well! Won't be this chapter, but you've definitely got me thinking for Cole's or Lloyd's chapter! :D Thank you so much! :D**

 **imacrazyninjagofan: Haha, yes, I knew it was you! I like your new name! XD I am so happy you thought it was adorable! Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Nali Nali Nalina: I think Nya is a very awesome person, so I wanted to showcase that in her chapter :D And she knows how to get Lloyd to do what she wants XD I'm glad you liked the heart to heart they had :3 Haha, I'm glad you liked Jay and Lloyd's fandom argument! (They're such dorks XD) Yay, you noticed the theme! I like to include little stylistic threads that connect the one shots into one cohesive story :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

The first time Lloyd tried to run away, he didn't even get past the front door.

He'd thought it all out: pack only what he most absolutely needed, which meant- _sigh_ \- leaving behind his Fritz Donnegan comics; leave in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep; and get on the first bus that left the station. This is where the true genius of the plan laid. The ninja would look for him in places they thought he might go, like back to Darkly's or maybe Jamanakai Village, the first place he had "attacked" upon getting expelled.

 _But_ , if he went to a literally random place, the ninja would have no idea where to look, and he would be long gone by the time they figured it out.

He sighed as he peered at his mostly empty backpack. The Green Ninja gi lay on the bed right beside it, and he couldn't help but curl his lip in disgust at the sight of it.

"Going somewhere?"

Lloyd yelped and whipped around to see Zane standing in the doorway of the shared bedroom. He hadn't expected the guys to be back from their mission for hours.

"Um… no," he replied _real_ convincingly, shifting slightly as if blocking the backpack from view would make Zane forget that he'd ever seen

"Oh. Then, why are you packing a bag?" Zane asked innocently, cocking his head.

"I was just… practicing… in case we ever have to make a quick getaway," he explained. "I didn't pack my gi, because, you know, I'd be wearing it. Because I'm the Green Ninja." Mentally, Lloyd cursed himself. His excuse had been flimsy enough but adding on the part about the gi had just made him seem even more suspicious.

And, Zane, as oblivious as he was, didn't seem quite so innocent anymore as he nodded and said, "Of course."

An awkward silence descended on the room.

Lloyd cleared his throat, turning back to the backpack. "But, I'm done now, so I'll just unpack it all and put it back."

"Okay. Do not let me interrupt."

Lloyd heard Zane's footsteps getting quieter as he walked down the hall.

He sighed in relief. Maybe his plan wasn't totally wrecked.

* * *

The second time Lloyd tried to run away, he didn't get off the deck of the Destiny's Bounty.

It was night, and the others were sure to be sleeping. He tiptoed down the hall, avoiding the creaky floorboards he had tested days beforehand. He was actually a little surprised that he felt sad as he left the ninja and Nya and Uncle Wu behind. Even though Kai had told him that they were sticking by him, he'd still kind of thought of the arrangement as a temporary thing, because nothing for him ever seemed to be permanent.

And, then he had become the Green Ninja and everything had become a little _too_ permanent with the whole prophecy and destiny and complete and utter lack of choice on his part-

He shook his head. Time to focus on the task at hand.

He made it onto the deck. So close…

"Going somewhere?"

Lloyd jumped about fifty feet in the air and turned to see Zane leaning against the opposite railing, waving in a friendly manner.

Lloyd thought a very loud curse word that he was sure the others thought he was too young to know and trudged over to the nindroid.

"I wasn't running away." He repeated the curse word in his head. _Real smooth_.

"Of course not," Zane agreed as Lloyd joined him at the railing. "I suspect you came out here to enjoy the moon as I did, yes?"

"Yeah." Lloyd muttered, crossing his arms on the railing and resting his chin on top of them.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"Lloyd…,"

 _Here comes the lecture_ …

"We are the Green Ninja's protectors. That means that we are here to support you, no matter what."

Lloyd looked up in surprise, and Zane placed both hands on either of his shoulders.

"If you want to talk, I am here for you."

Lloyd stared up at the nindroid in shock. _Maybe_ …

No. It was Green Ninja stuff. No one else would understand, and despite what Zane said, Lloyd doubted he cared that much.

"I'm good," Lloyd replied, shrugging off the hands with a (forced) smile. "But, I'm kind of full up on moonlight, so I think I'll just head back to bed now."

Zane held his gaze for a moment longer, and Lloyd feared that the lecture was coming _now_ … but Zane only nodded. "Very well. Goodnight, Lloyd."

"Night," Lloyd called over his shoulder as he headed back to the room.

Next time, he'd make it for sure.

* * *

The third time Lloyd tried to run away, he finally got it.

He'd made it. Out of the bedroom (where he made _sure_ all four ninja were asleep, including Zane) off the Destiny's Bounty's deck and all the way to the bus station. As he entered the depot, he wondered if should have left a note or not. But, what could he have written? I can't do it? Don't follow me? _Sorry_?

He approached the window with the little bit of arcade money that he had forced himself not to spend-

"Going somewhere?"

Lloyd screamed, making the very few people in the bus station look over at him in concern.

Not believing his ears, he turned very slowly to see Zane- _how, how, how!?_ \- sitting on a bench and waving as if they had run into each other on a Saturday while running errands rather than at two o'clock in the morning while he was trying to run away.

Lloyd stomped over to the nindroid, groaning loudly. " _Fine_. You win."

Zane raised an eyebrow. "Win?"

"Yeah, you caught me," Lloyd admitted, crossing his arms. "You're going to drag me back now, aren't you?"

"Of course not," Zane replied. "If you truly desire to run away, I will not stop you."

Lloyd was nonplussed, to say the least. "Wh-Why not? What about me being the 'Green Ninja?' My destiny?"

Zane looked back at him solemnly. "I was forced to forget my identity, my family, and my entire past. While my father did it only out of love, it is a terrible feeling. I will never force you to do anything you do not want to do, Lloyd."

The kid studied the nindroid incredulously. He half-turned toward the pay station without taking his eyes off Zane, as if testing his reaction. Zane did nothing. He took a step away. Zane didn't react. He turned away fully…

Lloyd whipped around, glaring at Zane. "Okay, what's the big idea!?"

"Big idea?" Zane repeated, confused.

"Yeah! Why aren't you trying to stop me?"

"Do you want me to stop you?"

"No! I mean... I'm going! Right now!"

"Okay."

Lloyd turned away again.

Then turned back to Zane. "Stop that!"

"I'm sorry, but I did not think I was doing anything." Zane cocked his head. "You seem conflicted. Perhaps you would like to talk about it?" He patted the space beside him on the bench.

Lloyd scrutinized him suspiciously.

"And, if you would still like to leave after that, I promise I will not stop you."

Lloyd pursed his lips, eyeing the bench longingly. "You _promise_?"

"I will buy the ticket for you myself."

Knowing Zane never told a lie, Lloyd was sufficiently convinced. He let his backpack slide to the ground and hopped onto the seat beside Zane.

"So, why is it that you feel the need to run away?" Zane asked.

Lloyd bit his lip, clasping his hands together in his lap. "It's just… It's just… this whole 'Green Ninja' thing! You know, nobody ever asked me if I even wanted to be the Green Ninja, and suddenly I'm supposed to be doing all this training and being this hero or whatever and, you know… I'm still just a _kid_. It's just… not fair…," he trailed off uncertainly, squeezing his hands together so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"I see." Zane said. "But, is it the lack of choice that bothers you about being the Green Ninja?" He paused then continued. "Or is it the opponent?"

Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut, determined not to cry in public.

"Lloyd-"

"I know he's evil," Lloyd admitted, still keeping his eyes closed. "I know… I know _somebody's_ got to stop him, but- but- he's my _dad_. I love him, so how can you guys ask me to- to…"

He couldn't finish the sentence.

Zane took a deep breath before replying. "My father is dead. I loved him, and I did not have a chance to save him." He placed a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "You do. Even if you are saving him from himself."

Lloyd looked up at him incredulously, tears blurring his vision. "Even if it means _killing_ him?"

"From what Master Wu and you have told us about him, I believe Garmadon was a good man and would have been a good man were it not for the Great Devourer's venom inside him. He loves you dearly, Lloyd, and I truly believe that he wants you to win the final battle." His grip on Lloyd's shoulder tightened. "Even if it means killing him."

Lloyd looked away as the tears overflowed, hurriedly wiping his sleeve over his face.

"But, you are not alone in this, Lloyd," Zane transitioned to wrapping his entire arm around Lloyd's shoulders. Lloyd didn't pull away. "We are here for you during that battle, every minute before it, and every minute after it."

Lloyd really started crying then.

"I am deeply sorry that so much pressure is being thrust upon you at such a young age," Zane continued as Lloyd scrubbed desperately at his face. "But, it is your destiny, and I do not think you can outrun it. And if you can, I think you will regret it." Zane pulled away from Lloyd. "But, I will not stop you."

Lloyd shook his head miserably and sobbed, "I just want to go home."

Zane stood up, offering Lloyd his hand. "Then, let's go home."

Lloyd was physically and emotionally exhausted by the time they made it back to the Destiny's Bounty, and Zane had to all but drag him into bed. He burrowed into the blankets, and he felt Zane place a hand on his head.

"I hope next time you will come to one of us before doing something drastic. We are your protectors, and we will protect you from everything that we can."

"Yeah," Lloyd mumbled into the pillow, now just mostly embarrassed. "Um, thanks, Zane. I… really appreciate everything you said."

Zane smiled. "Of course."

It wasn't until several minutes later, when Lloyd was just about to hop the brink between wakefulness and sleep, that he realized that he had referred to the Destiny's Bounty as home for the very first time. And, that maybe that was a good thing.

* * *

 **So, Lloyd was still being annoying in trying to run away so much, but Zane doesn't really act annoyed because Zane is Zane XD**

 **I hope you guys liked it! Let me know what you think :D**


	5. Cole

**I know, I know, I'm *gasp* LATE! I'm so sorry, everyone, I just came off the worst week in my entire life, and I honestly was unsure I would even be able to post at all! I know I haven't replied to any reviews yet, but I'm going to do so right after posting this (if Fanfiction's not being too glitchy :/)! Sorry again for the delay!**

 **This takes place shortly after the last chapter. I used Guest's and MidnightStarHunter's suggestions in this chapter! Please let me know if I did them justice!**

 **Special thanks to MorroAndJaylynn, Tex1412, ABCSKW123-IX, xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx, SpitfirewaterNinja, Wyrenfire, RandomDragon2.0, Spider-Man Super-Fan, DarkRed101, Star, StoriesAreMagic, Peanut2196, Midnight, SnowNinjaAJ, TheYellowNinja, Lexy Venzon, lightning ninja, PrairieSkies, person, and Nali Nali Nalina for reviewing! I love you all! :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **Star: Yay, I'm glad you liked it! But, yeah, the topic of Lloyd basically having to kill his father is sad any way you spin it :'( Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Midnight: Zane is a big sweetie :3 Aw, I'm so happy you liked all the feels! :D Obsessed?! What an honor! I hope you like this chapter just as much! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **SnowNinjaAJ: Really?! Tears?! That makes me so happy to hear! Yay, I can't wait to see the cover! :D Oh my gosh, AND I've inspired you!? Your review just made my whole day! With regards to your story: DEFINITELY POST IT! Believe me, I know it's scary, but I promise you won't regret it! Even if you do get some constructive criticism, I promise you will regret not posting more than you will regret posting (if that made sense XD) Might as well put it out there! And no worries, everyone on here is super nice :D Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **TheYellowNinja: Zane really is awesome :D Being forced into the Green Ninja role must have really been hard on Lloyd, especially at such a young age, and I don't think we see enough of that in the show :( Unfortunately, I did not get around to catching up on Season 8 (as I said above, worst week of my life and all) but I can't wait to watch it! Especially with all this buzz about Cole finding some mystery baby :3 Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **lighting ninja: Um, I don't even know how to respond to your review, but thank you for making me laugh XD**

 **person: Haha, thank you so much!**

 **Nali Nali Nalina: Haha, I'm glad you liked Zane just popping up places! Writing that made me laugh so much XD Aw, I'm glad you liked those aspects of the chapter! I tried to balance humor with the feels, so I'm glad I succeeded! Thank you so much for reviewing!**

* * *

The first time Cole took him out to eat, Lloyd didn't want to go.

"Ugh, I'm _never_ going to get this!" Lloyd complained, glaring at the lightbulb in his hand with enough malice to make it shatter from intimidation alone. "I give up!"

"C'mon, Lloyd, you have to think positively!" Jay encouraged. "It lit up a little bit the last time you tried it."

Lloyd pouted. "No, it didn't."

"Well, it almost did."

"Lloyd, whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are always correct," Zane stated wisely.

"Thanks. Next time I need a quote off an inspirational poster, I know who to call," Lloyd grumbled sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, being a little snot about it is not getting that lightbulb any closer to lighting up," Kai remarked, planting his hands on his hips.

"I'm not-" Lloyd stopped himself with frustrated huff, deciding not to give Kai the satisfaction of arguing.

"At least _try_ it again," Jay said, this time in exasperation.

Lloyd groaned. "Fine." He glared at the glass ball in his hand. He tried to visualize the lightbulb glowing in his hand like the others had told him. He tried to feel the energy flowing in his veins that the golden weapons were _so sure_ that he had inside him. He tried to imagine himself overflowing with all of the _Green Ninja's_ power, as his father's son, as the First Spinjitzu Master's grandson, and…

Nothing happened.

" _Ugh_!" Lloyd groaned again, throwing the lightbulb on the ground in frustration where it immediately shattered.

"Lloyd!" The others shouted reproachfully as he stomped off toward their shared bedroom. He didn't care, he didn't _care_ about being a stupid ninja with stupid powers with _stupid lightbulbs that wouldn't just light up already_!

In the bedroom, he threw himself face first down on his bed, yelling into his pillow.

It was only a matter of minutes before he heard the door open behind him.

"Go away," he muttered into the pillow so it was almost completely incomprehensible.

He received no response- and jumped when he felt something land on his back. He flipped over and half sat up to see his black hoodie in his lap.

"Get dressed," Cole stated simply from where he was standing by the dresser and pulling out his own civilian clothes to replace the black gi he was currently wearing. "We're going out."

"No thanks," Lloyd grumbled, letting himself fall back onto his pillow.

And stupidly, he thought that would be the end of that. He certainly did not expect to feel two hands on his waist that picked him up as easily as if he was a paperweight and tossed him onto a rock solid shoulder.

"It wasn't a question," Cole laughed as Lloyd struggled in his grasp.

"Hey, let me go!" Lloyd yelled as Cole carried him out of the bedroom and down the hall. When he caught sight of the other ninja, he cried out. "Help! I'm being kidnapped!"

"Sorry, Lloyd, too busy cleaning up a lightbulb _someone_ smashed!" Jay teased from where he was crouched on the floor with dustpan in hand as Zane sweeped up the broken glass.

"We'll be back later!" Cole called over his shoulder.

"I hate all of you!" Lloyd yelled as the door shut behind them.

* * *

"Oh, c'mon, don't be like that," Cole said as Lloyd continued to pout. His arms were crossed, and he was turned slightly away from Cole and toward the window, the picture of silent protest. He didn't even look up when Cole placed the tray with the hamburger on it down in front of him. "It's not every day you get a free lunch."

They were currently in one of Cole's favorite fast food restaurants in Ninjago City, seated in some cherry red booth in the back. Cole had carried him the whole way there, even down the sidewalk of Ninjago City despite the many odd stares they had received. Lloyd had seriously debated using the "help, I'm being kidnapped" strategy again but quickly decided that he'd probably be in a _ton_ of trouble if he had to call Master Wu to come bail Cole out of jail.

"Why are we even here?" Lloyd grumbled, still refusing to even look at the burger.

"I was hungry," Cole replied simply.

"Fine, then why am _I_ here?"

Cole said nothing. There was an awkward silence, and Lloyd _knew_ that Cole was just trying to get him to look over. But, there was _no way_ that Cole would get him to break that easily, so he would just continue staring out the window like he had-

Unable to take it any longer, Lloyd turned to look at Cole.

And was met with a straw wrapper to the face.

Lloyd sputtered as Cole started cracking up. Realizing Cole had done the classic "rip the end off the straw wrapper and blow so the paper flies off and hits the other person in the face" trick, he frowned. "What are you, _five_?"

In response, Cole ripped the end off another straw wrapper and did the same thing again, nailing Lloyd in the eye.

"Stop-"

He did it again.

"Alright, that's it!" Lloyd grabbed a handful of straws (Cole had brought a ton to the table to stock up his arsenal apparently) and started blowing the wrappers back at Cole.

It wasn't until they had amassed a pile of about fifty straw wrappers and fifty unused straws and the manager came over to their table and told them as politely as possible that if they continued to waste so many straws that they would have to leave, that they put an end to their war.

Lloyd could barely breathe through his laughter, and Cole was clutching his stomach and leaning back against the booth seat to try to compose himself.

"Okay, okay, fine, I admit, that was _kind of_ fun," Lloyd conceded, finally taking a bite of his hamburger. "But, why did we do it?"

"It's to help with your training," Cole answered, vacuuming up his own hamburger.

Lloyd grimaced at the reminder of the rebellious lightbulb. "How on earth did that help with my training? I wasn't even trying to use my elemental powers."

Cole reached across the table and flicked him directly in the center of the forehead. "Exactly." He shrugged. "You can't try so hard, Lloyd. Nothing's going to happen if you force it."

Lloyd frowned, rubbing his forehead. "How else am I supposed to do it?"

Cole pondered this, thoughtfully swallowing the other half of his hamburger. "Think about it this way. Your elemental power is already a part of you, so you don't need to force it. Just… let it happen."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "Let it happen?"

"Elemental powers aren't a thinking thing. They're a feeling thing, so next time…," he shrugged again. "Just let it happen."

* * *

The second time Cole took him out to eat, Lloyd still didn't want to go.

 _Just let it happen_. What did that even _mean_? Lloyd glared at the light bulb in his hand once again. The ninja were gathered around Lloyd, trying to coax his dormant powers out of him… _again_.

"Lloyd, stop thinking about it," Cole instructed. "Take a deep breath, and _relax_." The other nodded and murmured their agreement.

Rolling his eyes, Lloyd obeyed nonetheless. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply and relaxing his shoulders. He tried to clear his mind and 'feel it' instead, as Cole had suggested. He focused on the weight of the lightbulb in his hand, ran his thumb over the ridges in its base, felt the coolness of the glass against-

"It's lighting up!"

"Huh?" Lloyd's eyes flew open, immediately wrenched out of his almost meditative state. For a split second, he saw why Kai had shouted: a glowing lightbulb. Excitement caused his heart to skip a beat, and he felt a sudden surge of energy through his body like nothing he had ever experienced before-

The lightbulb shattered in his hand.

They all cried out, but then Kai hissed in pain, grabbing his eye and doubling over.

Lloyd froze with cold horror when he saw blood leaking out from beneath the red ninja's hand.

Blood- Kai's eye- Kai's _eye_ \- he was- he was-

Lloyd had blinded him.

Jay and Zane were immediately at Kai's side, trying to get him to move his hand so they could inspect the damage- but Lloyd didn't want to see, didn't want to see what he had done, didn't want to see the eye he had permanently injured when he was trying so hard, _so hard_ , to be good and just not _hurt_ anybody anymore- so he turned away and tried to run toward the bedroom so he could hide under his covers for the rest of his life.

He almost made it too, but then Cole was there in his path, grabbing both of his shoulders to stop him from running past.

"Lloyd, Lloyd, stop! It's okay!"

"Let me go!" Lloyd yelled in his panic, struggling valiantly albeit uselessly against Cole's super strong grip.

"No, Lloyd, look, look, he's okay!"

Lloyd gasped and hesitantly peeked over his shoulder to see Kai's bleeding- _cheek_ , his cheek, not his eye, not his eye.

"Kai, you must hold still," Zane instructed calmly, not concerned in the slightest about the rather superficial cut as he tried to dab at the blood with a napkin.

"Ouch! Quit it!" Kai snapped, flinching again.

"Stop being a baby," Jay laughed.

Lloyd blinked in astonishment, unable to process the lighthearted, achingly _normal_ scene going on in front of him after being so certain that he had just blinded Kai in one eye.

Cole pat him gently on the shoulder. "See? It's-"

He stopped mid-sentence when Lloyd suddenly dove forward and wrapped both arms around his waist, burying his face in Cole's gi as he trembled with guilt and fear and, most of all, _relief_.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," Cole reassured softly as tears slowly but surely soaked the front of his gi. Lloyd wordlessly shook his head, not ready to let go quite yet.

Suddenly, he felt Cole grab both his upper arms and easily pick him up, setting Lloyd on his hip instead. "Okay, we're going out," he announced.

The other ninja absentmindedly called their goodbyes, still preoccupied with Kai's "wound" and confident in the fact that Cole could handle Lloyd's fragile emotional state.

On the other hand, Lloyd whined, "No, Cole, I don't want-"

Cole cut him off with a laugh, "Still wasn't a question."

* * *

"I paid two dollars for this ice cream cone, Lloyd, and you're going to eat it if I have to force feed you."

Lloyd, pouting, accepted the ice cream cone but didn't lick it. They were sitting on the curb outside the ice cream shop, and Cole was happily slurping up the remains of his strawberry scoop.

"I told you I didn't want one," Lloyd grumbled, watching a drip of chocolate ice cream slide down the slope of the cone in his hand.

"Ice cream will make you feel better," Cole sang, nudging the kid.

"It's not going to make me feel good enough to change my mind," Lloyd stated, grimacing when the melted ice cream made its way onto his fingers. "I told you, I give up. I'm not cut out to be the Green Ninja."

"Lloyd, it lit-"

"I almost _blinded_ Kai," Lloyd snapped, finally turning to glare at Cole. He turned away again quickly, scared he might start crying again. "Look, it's either… it's either too much or not enough. I can't control my elemental powers, and no amount of ice cream is going to change that."

"You think this is about elemental powers?"

Lloyd slowly turned to Cole, whose cone had completely disappeared by this point, and raised an eyebrow. "Uh… yeah?"

Cole shook his head in exasperation. "It's not about powers. It's about what you said just now."

Lloyd racked his brain, confused. "What did I say?"

"You said, 'I give up,'" Cole pushed himself to his feet, pacing in front of Lloyd. "That's your problem. You _can_ control your elemental powers, but you keep giving up and that's why you don't."

Lloyd scoffed, turning away. "Nobody asked you."

"You're right. Nobody did ask me," Cole crouched in front of Lloyd, poking a finger in his chest. "But, I'm going to buy you as many ice cream cones as it takes to get it through your head, and you know why? Because ninja. Never. Quit." He punctuated each word with a poke to the chest. "That's why you're not the Green Ninja yet. Because you quit. Not because you can't control your powers."

Lloyd stared incredulously at Cole for a moment, noting the dead serious expression on his face, the steadiness of his voice, the conviction in his eyes. In that moment, it looked like Cole was capable of anything, like he could make a mountain move because he wouldn't give up until it did.

Lloyd took a small lick of his ice cream cone. "I… guess I could try _one_ more time."

Cole grinned, ruffling his hair. "Sometimes, that's all it takes."

* * *

The third time Cole took him out to eat, Lloyd finally got it.

"Lloyd, you mustn't get frustrated," Zane called from where the four ninja were gathered a safe distance away as Lloyd attempted to make the lightbulb glow in his hand.

Lloyd was just about ready to throw the very dim, dark, _not_ glowing lightbulb on the ground again. "Yeah, and why not?"

"Because, you can do it."

Lloyd looked up, surprised. "You really think I can?"

"Yeah, I mean you did it once before. _Hello_?" Kai tapped his the bandaid on his cheek. "Besides, I knew before anyone that you were the Green Ninja, so of course I know you can do it."

"You'll get it, Lloyd!" Jay encouraged. "...eventually. Preferably before Lord Garmadon's reign of terror begins, but-" The blue ninja was cut off by Cole's elbow in his ribs.

Lloyd stared at them.

They believed in him. They thought he could do it. No matter how many times he had given up and acted totally immature about the whole thing, they still believed in him. And, they would keep on believing in him, because ninja never quit.

Lloyd felt a completely foreign, warm kind of… _glow_ inside him- and the ninja gave a collective gasp.

"Look!"

Lloyd's eyes darted to the lightbulb- _stay calm, stay calm_ …- that lit up and shined brightly, almost to the point of bursting… then dimmed and went out.

There was a moment of silence as they all stared at the lifeless lightbulb in Lloyd's hand in wonder.

Then the four ninja were gathered around the kid, laughing and cheering and clapping him on the back and Lloyd just kind of stood there speechless because… he _did_ it.

"This is cause for celebration!" Cole announced, squeezing Lloyd's shoulder. "We're going out!" He turned toward the door, and the others made to follow, complaining about being starving.

"Wait!" Lloyd called out, hurrying to set the lightbulb down on the nearby table. The other four ninja turned toward him, and Lloyd felt suddenly self-conscious. "Cole, aren't you going to…," Lloyd blushed, scuffing his foot against the floorboards. "Aren't you going to carry me? I mean, I thought it was kind of our thing."

Lloyd could feel the heat rolling off his face in waves- _stupid, stupid, stupid_ \- and he was about to apologize and try to change the subject really quickly before anybody could tease-

He gasped when he felt Cole's strong hands grab him and easily maneuver him onto his shoulders. "You're right. It is our thing." Lloyd laughed, immensely relieved, especially when the others didn't mock him but just shared mildly amused smiles with each other. "So where to, Lloyd? You get to pick this time."

"Hm…," the Green Ninja tapped his chin. "How about Mr. Chen's Noodle House?"

" _Yes_!" Cole cheered and jumped into the air in ecstasy, nearly dropping his charge.

"Oh, c'mon, that's so unfair!" Jay complained from behind the pair. "Why did you have to pick _that_ place?"

"Because I like noodles," Lloyd replied offhandedly. Then, lowering his voice so only Cole would hear, he said, "And, to say thanks for… not giving up on me."

Lloyd couldn't see Cole's face, but he could tell he was smiling. "Never."

* * *

 **I hope you guys liked it! Next up is Lloyd's chapter (obviously. XD) Now, I'm going to go reply to some reviews XD**


	6. Lloyd

**UUGGHH, I'm soooo sorry for being late, everyone! School is very dumb :/ Once again, I'm sorry I haven't replied to reviews yet, but I will as soon as I can!**

 **Anyway, to make up for my tardiness, here's a super long, super angsty chapter! :D**

 **HUGE, HUGE, HUGE thanks to RandomDragon2.0 for their idea for this chapter! Please let me know if you like what I decided to do with it! :D**

 **Special thanks to Lexy Venzon, NinjagoMLP77, Wyrenfire, Spider-Man Super-Fan, RandomDragon2.0, ABCSKW123-IX, Peanut2196, xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx, TheYellowNinja, Star, lloydskywalkers, ChristianWriter316, skylor chan, VoltageArt, Midnight, StoriesAreMagic, MorroAndJaylynn, PrairieSkies, imacrazyninjagofan, Nali Nali Nalina, and CHEESEPUFFfg for reviewing! You guys are amazing!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **TheYellowNinja: Why do you think Cole is my favorite? :3 Aw, you are so sweet! Honestly, I've been having a really tough time this semester, so your incredibly nice words are really just what I needed to hear! Writing and posting make me happy, so I try to whenever I can, but sometimes it's just not possible :/ Thank you so so so much!**

 **Star: Aw, thanks! I definitely agree that Lloyd accidentally hurting one of the other ninja would be very upsetting :'(**

 **VoltageArt: Aw, thank you so much! Cole and Zane are enormous softies :3 Great idea for Nya! I will definitely take that into consideration! :D**

 **Midnight: Haha, yay! Cuteness overload achieved! :D Haha, I am a huge sucker for whump XD Thank you so much! :D**

 **imacrazyninjagofan: Haha, I'm so happy you thought it was cute! Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **Nali Nali Nalina: I think Cole is definitely a good mentor! :D I'm so happy you thought Lloyd was cute :3 Aw, thank you so much for the encouraging words! I've been struggling, so something as simple as "It'll be okay" just means the world to me :D Thank you so much! :D**

 **CHEESEPUFFfg: Aw, thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter as well :D**

* * *

The first time they saved him, Lloyd was shocked.

Lloyd knew tensions were high. He knew they were all stressed. He knew he shouldn't have been bothering them when they were trying to discuss strategies and plans and worst case scenarios.

None of that stopped it from stinging when the ninja snapped at him in such perfect unison to "get lost" that Lloyd suspected they had practiced.

So, in a fit of anger, he had stormed off the Destiny's Bounty. Not that anybody had noticed. Or cared. Lloyd knew it was late, even if he didn't know the exact time. Too late for a kid to be wandering the streets of Ninjago City, but he was still too angry (and hurt) to go crawling back. Part of him was worried that if he went back now, nobody would even comment on his absence. Or worse, they would be disappointed he came back at all.

"What's a little boy like you doing out here all alone?"

Lloyd jumped about fifteen feet in the air, despite the admittedly limited ninja training he'd had. He knew he was supposed to expect the unexpected, supposed to sense those he couldn't see, supposed to be on high alert at all times… but all of that went out the window as soon as he saw the man meld out of the shadows of the alley directly in front of him. Suddenly, he was just a regular, dumb kid who didn't like they way the man smiled at him with stained teeth and certainly did not like how close they were standing to each other.

"I'm… on my way home now," Lloyd replied, making to walk briskly past the man. The man moved to block him, and Lloyd's heart started beating twice as fast. "They're-they're expecting me."

He almost applauded himself for adding that part, because surely now the man would let him go without a fuss… but his heartbeat tripled when the man's smile only grew.

"No… I don't think anyone's expecting you." The man stepped closer, and Lloyd stepped back, glancing about worriedly. The street was completely deserted. "A little boy out here all alone at this time of night? No. No one's expecting you."

And, Lloyd knew he was the _Green Ninja_ , with unimaginable power at his beck and call… but the only thought in his head was an image of his dad appearing out of nowhere and beating this guy mercilessly for scaring Lloyd so bad…

The man took another step forward, and when Garmadon did not miraculously appear, Lloyd turned on his heel and started running-

A hand locked around his arm and yanked him backward. Lloyd tried to imagine a lightbulb exploding, but there was nothing here for him to use, nothing for him to do because he couldn't control his powers, and he couldn't think because he was so so so scared…

 _Dad!_ He tried to shout- but he couldn't for the cloth pressed over his face and suddenly he was drifting far far away, trying to follow his dad's voice that he swore he could hear but unable to find him anywhere…

* * *

Lloyd gasped awake- then started when he couldn't move.

It was dark. He was on the floor. His hands were bound behind his back- _rope_ \- and it all came rushing back to him- the alley, the man, the cloth-

Lloyd's breathing picked up, and he tried desperately, so, _so_ desperately to stop himself from hyperventilating as he twisted his wrists back and forth, back and forth to try to wriggle out of the rope, grimacing as the the coarse material scraped his skin.

 _Dad will be here any second now_ , he reassured himself, sawing his wrists against each other as he tried to squirm out of the tight bonds. _Dad will kill the guy who did this and save me and take me far away and-_

Lloyd yelped when the door suddenly opened, letting light flood into the previously pitch black room.

"Oh, good, you're awake," the man said jovially, like he was greeting a house guest rather than his kidnapping victim. Lloyd saw that he was in some sort of coat closet. In the light, the man looked even grimier than he had in the alley, with greasy hair and dirty clothes. He towered over Lloyd and smiled down at him. "Though, I had hoped you would sleep a bit longer. Not everything's ready yet. I want everything to be perfect for you."

Lloyd's vision blurred slightly as panic suffocated him. _Just imagine what Dad's going to do him when he gets here._

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit longer," The man said regretfully, already shutting the door. "But, I promise it will be worth the wait."

Lloyd tried to swallow the sob in his throat as he jerked his wrists frantically back and forth against the rope. He did not stop even when he felt them break the skin; rather, this only increased his pace, as he took it as a sign that he was making progress.

 _Dad saved me last time. Dad always saves me. He'll always come for me. He comes when I need him, and he'll know that I need him_ …

It was entirely too soon when the door opened again. "Ready?" The man asked, as if Lloyd had a choice.

Lloyd burst into tears, yanking his wrists uselessly against the ropes.

"No, no, no, don't cry," the man comforted, reaching out a finger and gently caressing Lloyd's wet cheek with a knuckle. Lloyd cried harder and tried to pull away but his back was against the wall- there was nowhere to go- where was-

There was a loud thumping sound from outside.

The man stood suddenly, obviously not expecting the noise. Lloyd continued to weep, though now out of relief. "What the…" With brow furrowed, the man shut the door, leaving to investigate.

Lloyd held his breath, almost subconsciously twisting his wrists within the ropes despite the burning pain each movement now wrought in them, and listened.

Silence- then yes, yes, _yes_ , breaking glass, grunts of pain, the swish of weapons, a fight, a fight, a _fight_ , his dad had finally found him and saved him-

"Where is he?"

Lloyd froze.

Because… Because that didn't sound like Garmadon. That sounded like…

Jay.

"You heard him! Where is he?" Kai. "And, I swear, if there is so much as one scratch on him, I'm going to-"

"Not now, Kai. Our first priority is Lloyd's wellbeing, not revenge." Zane.

The closet door opened.

And some irrational part of Lloyd had still expected to see Lord Garmadon standing there in front of him, as if he had collaborated with the ninja to save him once again.

He did not expect to see Cole immediately sag with relief. "Guys, he's in here!"

His dad hadn't come.

Cole fell to his knees as the other ninja appeared over his shoulder, similar expressions of relieved elation taking up residence on their faces. "Lloyd! Thank goodness! Are you okay?" He reached a hand toward Lloyd-

Lloyd leaned away from him. He couldn't actually move backward, but the gesture carried enough meaning behind it. Cole retracted his hand, and the ninja peered at him with extreme concern and confusion now.

"Lloyd? What-"

"Wh-why did you guys come?" He asked. He felt weird; almost like he was outside of his own body, like he was watching this happen to someone else. Because his brain, his real self, was still trying to reconcile the knowledge that his dad would save him and the proof that the ninja saved him. The ninja he hadn't even considered a possibility, the ninja he hadn't thought for a single second would come to rescue him.

Cole glanced over his shoulder at his teammates, as if afraid he was missing something. When they only shrugged, he turned back to Lloyd. "What do you mean? Of course we came."

"But, you-you just think I'm a pain. You told me to get lost." Lloyd explained, staring back at them with wide eyes. "You don't- oh. Oh, right. Because I'm the Green Ninja. You need the Green Ninja for the prophecy. So you had to save me."

"Lloyd, it doesn't have anything to do with that," Kai argued. "But, yeah, you are a pain."

Lloyd felt more tears snake their way down his cheeks. He knew it.

"And, so is Jay, and so is Zane, and so is Cole, and so am I, okay? We all get on each other's nerves sometimes, but it's no big deal. That's just what brothers do."

 _Brothers_.

"I-I'm…?"

Cole reached out to touch him again, and Lloyd didn't pull away this time. As he undid the knots around his wrists, he said quietly. "We came because no one messes with our little brother."

And then he was sobbing into Cole's shirt. Vaguely, he could hear the ninja- his _brothers_ \- saying something about his bloody and raw wrists, someone- Kai probably- threatening to kill the guy who did this to him. But, all of it was far away as Cole picked him up and all but crushed him to his chest as they took him away from this awful place and that awful man and took him- took him- took him _home_.

"Remember, Lloyd? This is our thing." Cole said softly as they passed out of the house and into the cool night air.

Lloyd couldn't speak but nodded wordlessly against Cole's chest, never feeling safer than he did at that exact moment.

* * *

The second time they saved him, Lloyd was happy.

The instant that they had arrived on the Destiny's Bounty after rescuing Lloyd, Nya had been there, peppering them with questions after his wellbeing and the perpetrator's identity so she could go teach him a lesson herself about messing with her family.

After seeing Lloyd's wrists, though, she had immediately ushered them into the cockpit where they had treated Jay before so she could wrap the injuries properly.

"This reminds me of when we still didn't know you were the Green Ninja, and I still had my assistant to help me out," Nya remarked mock-regretfully as she expertly tied another layer of white gauze around Lloyd's wrist. Lloyd knew she was only trying to keep his mind off the past few hours, but he was grateful for the distraction regardless. "It gets lonely now that you're always doing your ninja training."

"Hey, if you're hiring, I'm available," Jay joked, stepping forward eagerly. "I'm kind of sick of this whole ninja gig anyway."

"Oh, really?" Nya smirked as she began wrapping Lloyd's other wrist. "Even if you get paid in candy?"

" _And_ , I get candy? That's- wait a minute…," Jay suddenly gasped with realization, turning to the other three ninja. "That's why our candy stash has been disappearing!"

"Ha! And, you guys blamed _me_!" Cole pointed out triumphantly.

"You were the most obvious suspect," Zane defended apologetically.

"Well, maybe if Jay had hidden it better, we wouldn't have had to blame you!" Kai accused, turning his ire onto the blue ninja.

Lloyd found himself smiling at their nonsensical arguing as Nya continued wrapping his second wrist. "I guess we're off the hook," Nya whispered, winking at him. "For now."

She tied off the gauze. "There. All finished." Bending down, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head- and Lloyd felt a sudden pang of longing for his mother, even though he had convinced himself he never wanted to see her again after she abandoned him at Darkly's. "I'm so glad you're safe, Lloyd."

He suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her from moving away. "Am I…?" He glanced at his brothers (they were now ganging up on Zane for some most likely false and totally undeserved reason.) "Am I… _part_ of it now?"

The question was vague enough, but Nya seemed to understand. "Oh, Lloyd," She hugged him. "You already were."

* * *

The third time they saved him, Lloyd finally got it.

Kai had no idea how he got there first, considering he had a top bunk and had been totally asleep only seconds beforehand. Regardless, before Lloyd had stopped screaming in his sleep, Kai was there, pulling the Green Ninja into his lap and trying to calm him down as he hyperventilated.

"It's okay, Lloyd," he reassured as he ran soothing hands up and down Lloyd's back, thinking back fondly on the time they had been in a similar position and those same hands had been stuffing mud down the back of his hoodie. His other three brothers were gathered worriedly around Lloyd's bed, wanting so desperately to help but having no idea how. "We're all right here. We're sticking by you, remember?"

He felt Lloyd's grip on the back of his pajama shirt tighten but didn't receive a verbal response as his breathing remained short and labored.

"What should we do?" Cole asked.

"Perhaps getting Lloyd's mind off the events of earlier tonight would be most beneficial so early in his post-traumatic recovery process," Zane suggested.

Jay snapped his fingers. "Hey, I got it!" He dashed toward their closet, throwing random articles of clothing and various unmatched shoes haphazardly behind him as he searched for whatever it was he was looking for.

"There it is! I knew we had it somewhere!"

He held up his prize… much to the skepticism of the others.

"No way!" Kai complained.

"That's going to make Lloyd feel better?" Cole asked incredulously.

"Yeah! Remember when I was injured a while ago? Well, Lloyd and I talked a lot, and he told me that this _always_ makes him laugh. No matter what." Jay explained, grinning in anticipation.

"I trust Jay's judgment," Zane volunteered.

"Fine, I'm in," Cole agreed, shrugging.

"No way!" Kai repeated stubbornly, glaring at the object in Jay's hands.

"Kai, it's for Lloyd!" Jay protested. "Look, he took care of me then, and now I want to return the favor. This is how I know I can help him." He looked at Kai pleadingly.

Kai grimaced. Then he thought about Lloyd, his baby brother, drenched in sweat and shaking like a leaf in his arms.

He groaned. "Fine."

* * *

"Okay, Kai, right hand…"

"Don't say green, don't say green…"

"Green."

"Crap."

"Kai, I've run every possible scenario and determined that it is physically impossible for you to place your right hand on green with your current positioning."

"Ha! I'll show you 'physically impossible!'"

"Guys, can we hurry up? I think Cole's about to pass out!"

"You don't think I'm trying? Oh, I got it! If I dislocate my shoulder…"

Lloyd leaned against Nya, who had the spinner, as he laughed, unable to hold himself upright any longer. He could barely breathe, because never in a million years did he think he would be lucky enough to bear witness to the four ninja playing Twister. Watching regular people tie themselves into knots was funny enough, but the ultra competitive, highly flexible ninja? The comedic possibilities were endless, and Lloyd was enjoying every second of it.

Nya was trying to cover up her own giggles as she said, "Kai, I think you've exceeded your time limit."

"Time limit?! There's no time limit in Twister!"

"There is when one of the players is turning purple! Breathe, Cole!"

"As I said before we began playing, there is no point in trying to win, Kai, because I will reign victorious."

"Zane, you are the _worst_ at trash talk. How can I be intimidated when you say 'reign victorious?'"

"Perhaps I should buy you a dictionary for your next birthday. It would help you expand your vocabulary so the meaning of more advanced words are not lost on you."

"Oh, sick burn from the master of ice!"

"I can't take it anymore!" Cole suddenly gasped and collapsed. Because the four of them were so intertwined, though, the movement caused his brothers/opponents to collapse as well, one on top of another, until they were an indistinguishable pile of limbs and groans.

And Lloyd was clutching his stomach and pounding his fists against his bed as he laughed uncontrollably. Nya wasn't much better, giggling as she tried to ask them if they were okay.

"Thanks, guys," Lloyd gasped, wiping tears of joy from his eyes.

Suddenly, though, he remembered the events that had led up to the ninja playing Twister when they didn't really want to, remembered that it was three o'clock in the morning when they should be sleeping. So, because he didn't want to jeopardize this newfound brotherhood he had found by being a pain, he said quietly, "Sorry for making you guys do this."

"What? Why are you sorry?" Jay asked incredulously, disentangling himself from the ninja web. "We're going another round!"

"Huh? Really?"

"And, I'm totally going to kick all of your butts this time!" Kai declared, jumping to his feet. "Nya, spin it!"

"Okay, okay," Nya said, patting Lloyd's knee reassuringly. "Kai, right hand… green."

" _Again_?"

"Perhaps you could try not to play so terribly this time, Kai."

"Zane, I am _this_ close to ripping out your hard drive or circuit board or whatever it is you have in there."

Once again, Lloyd had to gasp for air through his laughter.

* * *

Eventually, though, exhaustion got the better of them. Nya was curled up on her side on Lloyd's mattress, Jay was spread eagle on the floor, and Cole and Kai were still partially tangled on the Twister mat as if they had fallen asleep mid-game.

Lloyd, despite feeling his eyelids drooping, couldn't bring himself to fall back asleep where he would dream of that man and all the horrible possibilities of what could have happened to him had the ninja- his brothers- not arrived in time.

Then, he realized that Zane was still awake, sitting on the floor near Jay and leaning against the wall. He seemed to sense Lloyd needed someone to talk to, because the nindroid smiled invitingly at the young Green Ninja. Without saying a word, Lloyd moved to sit beside him on the floor, and Zane automatically put his arm around his shoulders.

"It's okay to be scared, Lloyd," Zane reassured gently. "You've been through a lot."

"It's not- well, _yeah_ , but it's not that," Lloyd explained quietly, watching his slumbering siblings warily. "It's just… It's just… You guys saved me." He paused, dropping his eyes to his lap. "And, my dad didn't."

"Lord Garmadon would have stopped at nothing to rescue you if he had known what peril you were in," Zane stated confidently. "Just as we stopped at nothing to rescue you."

Lloyd chewed on his bottom lip, thinking.

Guessing the Green Ninja's thoughts, Zane added, "We are not trying to replace him, Lloyd." He sighed. "As a nindroid, you might think I don't know anything about love, but it is just the opposite. Because I am a nindroid, I know that love knows no biological bounds. Your family is who you choose to welcome into it, and it can be as large as you want to make it."

Lloyd started. He didn't know why the thought was so startling to him, but he supposed he had just never considered the possibility that he would have a family, or at least a family outside of his dad and maybe his mom, wherever she was.

He felt tears cascading down his cheeks again, but once again, they were tears of joy. "We're family?"

Zane squeezed him more tightly. "Of course," The nindroid smiled. "Little brother."

* * *

Jay started awake when he felt a weight settle onto his chest.

Looking down, he was surprised to find Lloyd had fallen asleep and slumped over onto him.

Behind Lloyd, Jay saw Zane shrugging apologetically. "I am sorry, Jay. He fell over. Would you like me to move him?"

And, Jay was _just_ about to snap at Zane that _of course_ he didn't want Lloyd sprawled across his chest while he was trying to sleep… but then he saw Lloyd's perfectly peaceful face, in such stark contrast to the sobbing, terrified expression that had been there only hours before.

"No, he's fine," Jay whispered, wrapping his arm around Lloyd to pull him closer. He closed his eyes again, somehow feeling more comfortable knowing his baby brother was happy and safe and _here_. "Goodnight, Zane."

"Goodnight, brother."

* * *

 **And that's the end of "Five Times Lloyd Was a Pain" :( I hope you guys liked it! I loved writing it! :3**

 **Once again, I'm going to be taking a break of a few weeks before beginning to post my next Five Times so I can try to catch up on some writing. With all my school stuff going on, I'm not sure how soon it will be, but I promise I am not abandoning this project (or the Lost Soul sequel, which is very much alive even if I haven't had much time to work on!)**

 **However, I need to know which Five Times to write next! From what I gathered from the suggestions left over time, here are VERY TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE titles for the remaining Five Times:**

 **Five Times Jay Cheered Someone Up**

 **Five Times Zane Was a Nurse (in which he takes care of his sick teammates)**

 **Five Times Nya Failed OR Five Times Nya Was Right OR Five Times Nya Was Wrong (still deciding on this one)**

 **And bonus:**

 **Five Times Morro Trusted Master Wu (takes place during Morro's childhood and focuses on his relationship with Master Wu rather than with the ninja)**

 **Vote** **on which one you'd like to see next! Please FEEL FREE to suggest different themes as well! These are only working ideas and not set in stone!**

 **Thank you all for all of the love this story has received! I apologize again for being late, and I will reply to reviews as soon as I can! Thank you, and I love you all! :D**


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